2016 California wildfires


In 2016, a total of 7,349 fires had burned an area in California, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Climatologists had predicted an extreme version of El Niño, known as a Super El Niño, to occur during the winter of 2015–16. Although the Pacific Ocean’s warming water had been expected to bring strong storms to parts of the southwestern United States, actual precipitation totals generally underperformed those expectations. Early in 2016, The National Interagency Fire Center predicted that conditions from May through at least August would put much of the western United States in above-normal wildfire danger.

Events

In June, the United States Forest Service estimated that over 26 million trees had died across in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. This brought the number of dead trees to over 66 million during the past four years of drought.
On August 15, the National Interagency Fire Center showed the state leading the nation in the quantity, size and intensity of wildfires. A day later, on August 16, San Bernardino County announced that nearly 85,000 people were evacuated because of the Blue Cut Fire near Cajon Pass. Authorities arrested a 40-year-old man in connection to the Clayton Fire, and charged him with 17 counts of arson.

Fires

Below is a list of all fires that exceeded during the 2016 California wildfire season, as well as the fires that caused significant damage. The information is taken from CAL FIRE's list of large fires, and other sources where indicated.
NameCountyAcresStart DateContainment DateNotesRef
RobertsSan Luis ObispoMay 18, 2016May 20, 2016
MetzMontereyMay 22, 2016May 25, 2016
ColemanMontereyJune 4, 2016June 17, 2016
PonySiskiyouJune 7, 2016June 30, 2016
SherpaSanta BarbaraJune 15, 2016July 12, 2016
BorderSan DiegoJune 19, 2016June 30, 20162 fatalities, 5 homes and 11 outbuildings destroyed
PineVenturaJune 19, 2016July 17, 2016
San Gabriel ComplexLos AngelesJune 20, 2016July 23, 2016Reservoir Fire burned 1,146 acres; Fish Fire burned 4,253 acres
ErskineKernJune 23, 2016July 12, 20162 fatalities, 285 homes destroyed, 12 damaged
TrailheadPlacerJune 28, 2016July 18, 2016
DeerKernJuly 1, 2016July 11, 2016
CurryFresnoJuly 1, 2016July 5, 2016
SageLos AngelesJuly 9, 2016July 16, 2016
RoblarSan DiegoJuly 21, 2016July 30, 2016
SandLos AngelesJuly 22, 2016August 3, 20162 fatalities, 18 homes destroyed, 4 damaged
SoberanesMontereyJuly 22, 2016October 12, 20161 fatality, 3 injuries, 57 homes and 11 outbuildings destroyed.
GooseFresnoJuly 30, 2016August 9, 20164 homes, 5 outbuildings destroyed
ColdYoloAugust 2, 2016August 12, 20162 outbuildings destroyed
PilotSan BernardinoAugust 7, 2016August 16, 2016
MineralFresnoAugust 9, 2016August 18, 20162 structures destroyed
ChimneySan Luis ObispoAugust 13, 2016September 6, 201648 structures destroyed
ClaytonLakeAugust 13, 2016August 26, 2016300 buildings destroyed
Blue CutSan BernardinoAugust 16, 2016August 23, 2016105 homes, 213 outbuildings destroyed
CedarKernAugust 16, 2016September 30, 2016
ReySanta BarbaraAugust 18, 2016September 16, 2016
GapSiskiyouAugust 27, 2016September 17, 2016
BogartRiversideAugust 30, 2016September 2, 20161 outbuilding destroyed
WillardLassenSeptember 11, 2016September 22, 20165 structures destroyed
Owens RiverMonoSeptember 17, 2016October 15, 2016
CanyonSanta BarbaraSeptember 17, 2016September 24, 20161 firefighter killed in crash
SawmillSonomaSeptember 25, 2016September 29, 2016
MarshesTuolumneSeptember 26, 2016October 4, 2016
LomaSanta ClaraSeptember 26, 2016October 12, 201628 structures destroyed

4S Ranch brush fire

On Thursday, May 5, 2016, shortly before 3 P.M. PDT, a small brush fire ignited off the 15000 block of Dove Creek Road, in a creek bed, in 4S Ranch, San Diego County. As the fire began spreading eastward, students and staff at the nearby Oak Valley Middle School were ordered to stay indoors, though parents were allowed to pick up their children. However, as the fire continued to spread, evacuation orders were issued for some homes along Palomino Valley Road and Oak Valley Middle School, with the students from Oak Valley Middle School being relocated by bus to Westview High School. The sudden change caused some confusion and chaos among parents attempting to pick up their children, and drew criticism towards the last-minute evacuation plan. The brush fire quickly grew to, but within a couple of hours, the fire was contained and further growth was stopped. At 4:34 PM PDT, the evacuation orders for the homes on Palomino Valley Road were lifted, as the fire was brought to 90% containment. Just before 5:30 PM PDT, the brush fire was fully extinguished, and Rancho Santa Fe fire officials declared 100% containment of the fire. The fire did not cause any injuries or structural damage. The brush fire was determined to have been accidentally caused by sparks coming from a welder.